February 2020 Archives - The Instrumentalist

A Convergence of Tried and True Principles

theinstrumenta — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 08:43:47 +0000

My hobby is putting together the most difficult jigsaw puzzles I can find. Past projects have included the silver and gold one-color Ravensburger Krypt puzzles and a puzzle consisting only of Dalmatians, with the same picture, turned 90 degrees, on the back. The box of the Dalmatians puzzle was labeled “The World’s Most Difficult Jigsaw Puzzle! 529 pieces – seems more like 4,000 pieces.”

In November and December 2019, I worked on a 1,000-piece puzzle of Jackson Pollock’s Convergence, finishing the last 60% it in a 20-hour marathon puzzling session around Christmas. I found this puzzle more difficult than any I had done before, even the one-color ones. There is no rhyme or reason to the painting, so there was often no way to tell which pieces connected. I spent a fair bit of my time examining the picture on the box with a magnifying glass, looking for any small detail that might give me a clue what should be on the piece I was looking for.
When I started the puzzle, people asked me how I planned to approach it. Many puzzles have distinguishing landmarks to start with and build around, but Convergence cut into 1,000 pieces offers little to start with. There were some musical principles that applied to my approach.
One section at a time. Daniel Galloway, whose interview you can find on page 8, stated that when working on a difficult piece, he never starts with a read-though, but rather works micro to macro, learning a section at a time. I took the same approach, starting with the blues, whites, and oranges near the bottom right corner and working out from there. When I finished that section, I started other white, yellow, and blue patches. In hindsight, putting a puzzle together is no different from learning difficult music – it can only be done one piece at a time.

Convergence, Jackson Pollock (1954), 1,000 pieces

Stay focused on your immediate goal. An unexpected difficulty with this puzzle was distraction. As I searched for the piece I was looking for, I would frequently spot something that looked like it went with another section I was building. This often led to forgetting the part I was working on to focus on the new because of the excitement of finding a piece that fit. By the time I would turn my attention back to where I had started I couldn’t remember what I was looking for, necessitating getting the magnifying glass back out to re-study what I was originally trying to find. I do puzzles because I enjoy them, but this was definitely an inefficient approach to it.

Dalmatians (with the same picture also on the back), 500 pieces

Improvement is not a race. I am often asked how long it takes me to put puzzles together. I have occasionally kept track of the time spent doing so, but I no longer do this. It makes me feel pressured to finish and takes some of the fun out of it. Once in a while, I will stare at the table for three minutes before leaving for work in the morning. If I place even one piece, it is a good start to the morning, in the same way that mastering even one bar of sixteenth notes can make a fulfilling practice session. (There is such a thing as competitive jigsaw puzzle solving, and champions typically solve 1,000-piece puzzles in less than two hours – although I don’t know if Convergence is one of the puzzles they would use.)

Ravensburger Krypt (gold version), 631 pieces

It takes time to plumb the depths of great art. After I finished the puzzle, a friend asked me whether I appreciated the painting more after staring at it for two months. I hadn’t given this much thought, but the reality is that I now know the painting much better than I thought I would. Before I started assembling the puzzle, I took a picture of the piece of pieces, and looking back at it, I knew where the top pieces went. I also could point to places on the painting I thought were particularly interesting. I like the hues produced by the reds bordering the bottom center white blob, as well as the blue and yellow tornado effect just above and to the left of the center. It just confirms a final musical principle: The more effort you put into something, the more you get out of it.

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Wind and Percussion Techniques Applied to String Playing, An Interview with Stephen Benham

theinstrumenta — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 08:38:44 +0000

Most of us in the instrumental music education profession attended a college or university that required study of all woodwind, brass, percussion, and string instruments towards teacher certification. In most cases, there was also the requirement to demonstrate a prescribed level of piano proficiency. While the majority of us specialize in one or two instruments, possessing an advanced level of proficiency on more instruments is rare. The goal of most of these pedagogy courses is to give music education majors the tools necessary to teach their students at the beginning and intermediate levels on each instrument. A result of these courses may also provide confidence to the teacher in the large ensemble by affording them the ability to understand and relate to the mechanics and tendencies of each instrument within.

For many first-year teachers and experienced teachers changing job placements, acquiring the position is exciting. That excitement can quickly turn to concern or fear, especially if the teaching load includes something less familiar to the applicant. In some districts across the United States, band directors may find themselves teaching strings or a full orchestra. Despite having taken a strings method course as an undergraduate, many band directors whose primary area lies with woodwind, brass, or percussion can have success with strings if they simply relate what they already know to what they think they do not know.
Stephen Benham is Professor of Music Education at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During his K-12 experiences in Michigan, Oregon, and New York, he was a strings teacher, orchestra director, and band director. Drawing on his experience across multiple instrumental areas, Benham answers some of the most pressing questions that may be on the minds of band directors who may soon find themselves in front of a group of students holding string instruments.

What trends have you seen in string teaching over your career?
There has been a documented shortage of string teachers for at least the past 15 years. In part this is because of program growth around the country, but also because there is an insufficient number of string majors graduating from music education teacher preparation programs. I believe that the trend will continue at least for the next decade – if not longer. The American String Teachers Association has tracked this for some time and will continue to do so; in addition, there are other national efforts under development to help recruit a greater number of players.

What advice would you offer a recent wind or percussion graduate for developing confidence teaching strings?
I would say that anyone, anywhere in the country, should expect to teach music outside of their major area, such as a wind or percussion specialist teaching choir or strings, or a vocalist teaching band. That is the trend nationally. In turn, this should weigh on college choices by future music majors. Is the university you are looking for someplace where you can be trained by specialists in each of the major areas (band, choral, orchestra, and general music)? Being an excellent musician is key to success in any field. Know a wide range of music. Work hard on your ear training and aural skills. Attend as many clinic sessions on topics outside of your major area as possible at professional development conferences.

What are some direct correlations from wind performance that transfer to strings?
The principles of acoustics are the same between strings and winds: We are looking at creating and controlling vibration of air molecules. In this regard, the bow correlates highly to the breath/airstream. In strings, we really understand four basic principles of tone production from the perspective of bowing: weight, angle, speed, and placement (WASP).

Weight
In general, the greater the weight, the louder the sound (think about more breath support for larger volume). There is a concern that using less weight, might produce a potentially weak and unsupported sound. In contrast, using more weight may produce a potentially harsh and brash sound. For bow weight, consider the following diagram:

Angle
If the hair of the bow is completely flat on the string, there is much less string available to vibrate, making the overall sound less full. In the diagram below, the red circle shows the amount of string available to vibrate with most of the bow hair making contact:

To achieve the best sound, the angle of the bow stick should be slightly adjusted towards the fingerboard. For violins and violas, this would mean angling the bow stick away from the performer’s face, and for cellos and basses it would require the performer to angle the bow stick toward the face. By doing this, the hair begins to bunch up underneath the bow stick, creating the opportunity for more friction with the string. With less bow hair on the string, more of the string is able to vibrate, thus creating a richer and fuller sound (larger red circle):

In many ways, a wind performer can relate the concept of angle similar to a beginning flute player trying to produce a sound over the tone hole. In many respects having the angle of air flow over the tone hole at a sweet spot takes some time and patience. Once this angle is found, it is difficult for the performer to revert to anything less. For string players, the process can be equally satisfying.

Speed
One common misconception that developing string teachers encounter is the term “more bow.” Often, this is interpreted as using a faster bow stroke, similar to how a band director might ask students to use more air. Although it is true that wind payers should take big breaths to secure a well-supported sound, it is the speed – or management – of the air that is ultimately responsible for a well-supported sound.
To assist in understanding air management, consider the following scenario. A trumpet player asked to play a C5 should take a big breath and play the note with fast air right from the start, as any hesitance leads to tightness, causing a poor start to the note. A trumpet player asked to play a C4 should take a similarly big breath but play the lower note with a slower airstream. Bow usage should be approached in the same manner.

Placement
Another general rule of thumb is that placement of the bow can affect dynamics and timbre. Regarding dynamics, the distance between the fingerboard and the bridge can be thought of as having six different lanes or bowing channels. As one approaches the bridge from the fingerboard, the dynamics increase in intensity. Similarly, the timbre grows from darker, covered, and potentially dull to more focused, intense, and potentially shrill:

These foundations should be followed to develop a basic understanding of the four principles of bow usage. Reed players may find similar attributes in regard to how much mouthpiece to take in on higher- or lower-pitched passages, and brass players might adjust their embouchures for passages that require playing in different registers. As is the case with woodwind and brass players, there are many combinations of bow weight, angle, speed, and placement that can develop a wide array of colors for the string performer.
There are some special effects in string playing that take advantage of some of the acoustical effects that result from not having a centered sound. For example, sul ponticello is is created by placing less than the usual amount of weight on the bow, moving the bow too quickly, and placing the bow too close to the bridge, resulting in a glassy, unfocused, airy sound. Sul tasto is created by having the bow move more lightly and quickly across the strings than would produce a focused sound, resulting in a more ethereal, covered, and breathy sound.

Are there any direct correlations from percussion performance that transfer to strings?
Striking a drum or keyboard instrument with a stick or mallet is quite similar to the kinesthetics involved in playing with the bow. There is an anticipation of the motion, an execution of the motion, and a rebound. I love watching professional timpanists and percussionists because they prep for the sound initiation in a way that is visible and anticipates the laws of motion. For example, a timpanist does not merely smack the head of the timpani to achieve a good sound. Rather, the timpanist draws the sound from the head by using the entire arm mechanism in a relaxed manner; from preparation to execution and beyond, the entire motion is more of drawing out the sound from the head. The string player also has to achieve a similar relaxed preparation with the arm mechanism, which usually includes the upper body to assist and then allow the bow to be drawn across the string with enough weight to initiate the string to vibrate, but not so much that the vibration would be compromised.
For string players, there is an additional correlation with off-the-string bowings, in which the bow rebounds from the string, rather than staying constantly on the string. When you watch timpanists – in particular – play repeated notes, you see this relaxed control and response of the fingers-hand-wrist-forearm-elbow mechanism that is identical in concept to playing a sautillé or spiccato bow stroke on a string instrument.
Another analogy that relates well from percussion to strings is comparing bow placement to stick placement. Just as a timpanist will need to determine how far from the rim to strike the head, a string player will need to find where the best sound is produced on each string.

For students who has been trained to become a band director, which composers for strings would you recommend?
There are excellent composers for school strings right now. Bob Phillips, Soon Hee Newbold, Richard Meyer, Sandra Dackow, Brian Balmages, and Mark Williams all come to mind. In addition, there is an outstanding repertoire going back hundreds of years that is playable by school string players. The Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra series published by GIA, which also has a much more extensive band series by the same name, is a great starting point.

How should directors assign bowings to parts?
There are many options for how parts may be bowed, and what you do for a younger orchestra will be different from what a professional orchestra does in the same way that you might use different breath or phrasing markings for beginning band students and top high school wind ensemble. Talk to the private teachers in your area, borrow marked parts from another school, or talk to a nearby university orchestra director. There are also good bowing suggestions in books by James Kjelland (Orchestral Bowings: Style and Routines, published by Kjos), Elizabeth Green (Orchestral Bowings and Routines, published by ASTA), and Marvin Rabin (Guide to Orchestral Bowings Through Musical Styles, published by the University of Wisconsin).

Are there any differences in conducting a band versus and orchestra?
Although rehearsal preparation is going to be similar, diagnosing performance problems can be significantly different. So much of tone production for the string player is external and therefore easy to identify and understand. Small corrections can easily be demonstrated, such as the difference between starting at the tip of the bow, where the weight is lighter versus the middle or frog of the bow, where the weight becomes successively heavier. String players also seem to have a greater range of colors at their disposal because of the wide number of options that can be used to create tone. Even descriptions of bowing technique and articulation fill entire dictionaries, which is something that is not the same for the wind player. Diagnosing tonal production problems for wind players is much more complex as it is virtually impossible to see where the tongue is making contact with the reed or mouthpiece, what part and how much of the tongue is being used, the shape of the inside of the oral cavity, and how much air (and in what type of column) is being used to create the sound. So, many analogies can be made using strings that could be helpful for wind players.
For string players, there is a distinction between the name of the technique that is used to accomplish an articulation and the actual articulation style, itself. For example, a staccato articulation can be produced with a martelé, détaché, spiccato, or sautillé bow stroke. These technical elements often relate to performance practice and also evolved in relation to changes in the string instruments over time. The Green, Rabin, and Kjelland materials mentioned above are excellent resources. There is also the Dictionary of Bowing and Pizzicato Terms by Joel Berman, Barbara Jackson, and Kenneth Sarch that provides excellent research on basically all standard (and quite a few lesser-known and rarely used) terms and technique in multiple languages in orchestral repertoire.
Although teaching outside of one’s primary area can produce some degree of anxiety, it is important to remember that the relationship between woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings is closer than one may initially think. Afterall, relating to areas that are outside our comfort zone is something that instrumental music educators do all the time. A person who is primarily a brass player must find a way to relate to woodwind players about producing an initial sound on their instrument. The embouchure required from a brass player needs to be demonstrated in such a way that allows for the center of the lips to vibrate, whereas reed players need to be concerned about getting the tip of the reed to vibrate freely. The vibration of the reed is similar to the vibration produced by the aperture for a brass player.
It is anticipated that most of the anxiety band directors who find themselves teaching strings comes from the visual aspect of how the instrument is played. In many regards, band directors who teach strings have a greater chance of success due primarily to the external nature of performing on string instruments, versus the internal execution required of woodwind and brass players. Regardless, instrumentalists can relate what they already know to concepts that they are less familiar and have measurable success. Like most things in our profession, this takes practice.

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Tips for Better Tuba Playing

theinstrumenta — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 08:23:18 +0000

Having a great bottom to your band’s sound is invaluable. For those like me who use the sound pyramid, a large tuba section provides an essential fundamental note in chords, as well as a balance on the low end to keep an ensemble from sounding top heavy. I try to have four tubas in every band, which takes considerable recruiting. Tuba should not be an instrument of last resort for students. Building a strong section takes students who are strong academically to drive the band and keep it on the beat.

Warmup
Before students play, they should always begin by buzzing on the mouthpiece at a moderate range and volume for 20-30 seconds. This gets the blood moving into the lips and helps the lips be more elastic and responsive. It improves endurance, range, and accuracy for that day’s playing.
When buzzing, cover half the opening at the end of the shank to create some air resistance. You could also use a B.E.R.P. resistance device or try placing a paper clip on the edge of the tuba’s receiver before partially inserting the mouthpiece. Another technique for improving accuracy and intonation is to match pitches on a piano or keyboard with your mouthpiece. Play various simple melodies on the mouthpiece to improve the ear and help center the tones.

Individual Warmup
This should include unmetered long tones of eight to ten beats focusing on consistent air speed. Remember to stop the tone just before the sound gets unsteady and take another relaxed full breath.
Work on lip slurs, first on the mouthpiece and then on the instrument. It is considerably more difficult to slur up than down, so don’t cheat the slur by tonguing the upper note when slurring back upward or by using a pop of air to reach the upper note. This cheating on slurs defeats the purpose of practicing them.

Air
Because I teach and play all brass instruments, I play the tuba less often than other instruments. When I have not played tuba in a while and have to prepare for a performance, I need to get my breathing back in shape much more than my tuba embouchure. Breathing in large amounts is an important part of playing tuba, but it is critical to breathe in more air than you think you need. In my mind I visualize filling my stomach, even pretending that I am filling air from the bottom of my chair. Next, I fill my back before finally breathing air into the upper chest. I am careful not to lift my shoulders. My breathing in all three areas occurs in one sweeping motion.
Always breathe low and outward from the body, especially where the stomach moves away from the body on the inhale. Do not breathe up, lifting your shoulders. Many of us have heard of an inhaling technique of breathing in and feeling a cold spot on the back of your throat, but I add one more step. Once you feel the cold spot on the back of your throat, try again and see if you can get that cold spot you feel a few inches further down the throat. Besides opening the throat for more air, if you can maintain that openness on the exhale it will open up the sound.
Remember that on the exhale the air should be kept constant, smooth, and steady, using sufficient air pressure on the back of the center of the lips. Imagine the bow of a string bass being pulled across the strings.

Embouchure
The corners of the mouth must remain in place and never smile back. The corners can go in towards the teeth and down, resembling a fish face. Never flap the lips; the center of the lips should never touch. Even in the lower range (low C, Bb, and Ab) the corners remain firm and anchored. The jaw lowers, and the inside of the mouth makes a cavern the size of a golf ball. The shape inside the mouth should combine an oh and an ah face into what could be an awe.

Common Bad Habits of Brass Players
Teeth too close. The air must move through the mouthpiece obstructed. Teeth that are too close create an extra sound. Clenched teeth make an R or an N sound instead of a round vowel sound.
Poochey lips. Brass players should avoid puckering, instead playing on the portion of the lips that is on the outside of the mouth and not on the wet fleshy inside part. Although all brass players should play with their lips wet, the lips should not protrude into the mouthpiece, except for tubas in the low range. When they play at a low Bb and below, the lips can extend into the mouthpiece but must remain taut like a diving board.
Smiling. Smiling is the killer of high range playing. The corners of the mouth should never go further back than your face looks in the mirror while completely relaxed.
Tight throat. This is usually caused by pushing the air from the upper chest, causing the throat to constrict. This frequently happens in the higher range.

Tonguing
Tonguing on tuba is difficult because players have to keep the oral cavity as round as possible. A more open mouth requires the tongue to travel farther to articulate and then get out of the way. I use a T and D hybrid articulation where I simultaneously think tdoh where T touches the correct place in the mouth but the D uses more tongue surface area lowers the tongue. Using the T on the front part of the doh Syllable also prevents the tongue from migrating to the roof of the mouth. I use tdoh for most notes, but for 16th notes I use toh to get a firmer front to the note and more air pressure at the tip of my tongue for clarity.
One technique for getting low notes to speak is to assist the tongue with a little bit of cough to punch out low notes. This is an advanced technique and not something to teach to a beginner.

Higher Range
When playing higher, the corners should not smile back at all. If the corners go back even a millimeter, it limits the range because the aperture gets flatter rather than smaller in diameter. Students should play higher by blowing faster air or thinking of getting the air to a distant point quickly. Merely blowing more air can force open the aperture to a diameter that will cause a missed partial. If anything, when students play in the upper range, the corners of the mouth will move inward toward the nose a tiny amount. Another tip is to aim the air towards the bottom of the mouthpiece slightly below the entrance to the shank, although this technique is best saved for F3 and above. Remember, if you can buzz it, you can play it. If you cannot buzz it, then you cannot play it; you will either miss the partial, or the correct pitch, even if played, will be fuzzy and otherwise distorted.

Musicianship and Practice Techniques
In many instances, brass players should think like vocalists, having direction to the lines and thinking horizontally, not just vertically. Keep the air going between the notes. Few tuba players have the air capacity for making phrases as easily as players of other instruments can. Learning to hide breaths by playing long notes and waiting until the last possible second to take a short breath.
Although mouthpiece buzzing is less fun than playing, buzzing helps center the pitches. One technique that leads to rapid results is Play-Buzz-Play. Have students play a phrase of their music to get the pitches in their heads, then buzz the same passage, and then immediately go back to the tuba and play, pretending they are still buzzing. Playing instantly while the buzzing muscle memory is fresh is the key to making this technique successful. Going through this approach one phrase at a time can be tedious but quite rewarding.
When I younger, cracking pitches was one of my most significant errors. I discovered that most of my cracks occurred following breaths, because I did not anticipate where my embouchure was going to set when reentering after the breath. Many students fear this same thing, which is why players incorrectly try to breathe through their noses or the lead pipe, so they do not have to relax and reset their embouchures after an open mouth breath. I fixed this problem by focusing on whether the next note is higher, lower, or the same.
Over the years, I found an exercise that has proven particularly helpful for concentration and muscle memory. Write 8-12 measures of a half note followed by a half rest, using random intervals (for younger players, keep it to 4-6 measures). Vary the intervals but keep them no larger than a perfect 5th. Students must play each measure (unmetered) three times without cracking before going on to the next measure. After each note they must take their face away from the mouthpiece, relax the embouchure, and then breathe and reenter on that note with no cracks. If someone misses a pitch or cracks an entrance, they have to start over at the beginning of the whole thing. Do not be surprised if students can’t complete this exercise; the objective is improved concentration.
If students are struggling with hitting larger intervals, have them play octaves chromatically, staring with G1 Play G1-G2-G1, then up a half step – Ab1-Ab2-Ab1. Continue this to Bb2-Bb3-Bb2. Players have to use different fingerings as they go higher, but this gets the face used to moving more quickly and confidently changing registers and also helps train the jaw to drop quickly going down.
The tip that has resonated most came from my private teacher when I was a freshman in high school. He urged me not to be intimidated by the size of the tuba and just “play that thing.” He meant that I should make that the tuba do what I wanted with a confident and aggressive mindset, especially with the use of air.

The post Tips for Better Tuba Playing appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Strategies for Percussion Reading

theinstrumenta — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 08:16:39 +0000

photo courtesy of International Music Camp

Many teachers have experienced percussionists playing ahead of or behind the beat while not watching the director, losing their place in the music and having a hard time getting back on track, or missing a major entrance as they careen towards an instrument carrying an armful of mallets and music during a rehearsal or performance. Percussionists face challenges that wind and string players do not when setting up and reading their music, so directors must devise creative solutions to help them make the most of this aspect of their ensemble experience. Here are four common music-reading pitfalls your percussionists may face and examples of how to overcome them.

Score Parts

Score parts show all percussionists what the entire section is playing. Given that snare drum, crash cymbals, and xylophone parts, for example, tend to be one player per instrument, this method of notation can help everyone stay on track by checking in on each other’s cues. It also offers percussionists a view of the big picture throughout the piece so that directors can help them see how the parts interact. Students may play more cohesively as a section with these parts because the work of all players is on display for everyone.
Several challenges arise when reading score parts, however. Students may look at the wrong part when skipping from system to system and be distracted by what someone else is playing. Score parts also take up more space on the page and may require more frequent page turns, a difficult task with sticks or mallets in hand. Finally, the benefit of seeing everyone else’s cues can also become a major obstacle if another player has fallen out of sync with the ensemble. That discrepancy can easily drag the rest of the section into trouble. What might otherwise have been a solid performance is suddenly undermined when players are distracted by a fellow percussionist going astray.
Directors can help students counter these problems by guiding them to mark their score parts wisely and clearly. Use arrows or highlighting to designate the line in each system that students play so they spot it immediately. If you want to keep the part clean, consider blocking out portions of the other parts with a low-tack paper tape.
For example, in a system with four individual parts connected like a grand staff you could cover the first measure, or just the clef, for instance, of each of the other parts in the system. This reduces the chances that students will gravitate visually toward those staves and helps them focus on their part as they read, all while maintaining the availability of the other parts as a reference when desired. Students do benefit from score parts, and teachers can help them learn to read confidently and correctly so they can take advantage of the opportunity to see the big picture while reducing the chance of error caused by the extra information.
If page turns lead to difficulties for busy players, copy pages – or at least portions of pages – to make page turning and reading more logical and feasible during performance. Students should be taught to consider this option and add what they need when they need it.
Finally, to solve the problem of one player leading the others astray, all percussionists must develop and exude confidence with their parts and trust one another if score parts are to function effectively. Percussionists might also mark in other ensemble cues to be able to double check their entrances against two sources during performance.

Notehead Variety and Note Values

One of the saving graces of score parts, or any parts, is that certain instruments are often depicted with unique noteheads. In contrast to the standard noteheads for snare drum or bells, for example, crash cymbals, suspended cymbal, or woodblock may be marked with an x, while triangle or cowbell might be represented by triangular noteheads. When these parts contain half or whole notes, the shapes might be circled or turned into diamonds. Students tend to grasp these concepts easily but may require time and practice to get used to reading them quickly and accurately in the moment.
Directors can help students develop this skill by incorporating these noteheads into warmups and other exercises. Use a variety of note lengths to help students learn how diamond-shaped half and whole notes might look in context of a string of x noteheads, for instance. Input the example noteheads the way they appear in sample literature from your performance repertoire to keep things as relevant as possible.
You can also encourage students to customize their parts with simple editing to assist their reading of unique notation during rehearsals and concerts. They might write two slashes above a diamond-shaped note on suspended cymbal or a circled triangular note on cowbell, to remind themselves that it is a half note spanning two beats. They can also replace certain noteheads with an alternative. For example, they may read a string of eighth note with x heads flawlessly but trip on a dotted quarter or half note. Penciling in a standard oval on that stem might fix the problem permanently. Whatever is crystal clear to students is what will work best.

Variety of Clefs

Most battery percussion parts are notated on a neutral clef, while timpani use the bass clef and most keyboard instruments the treble. The main challenge to playing from the neutral clef is consistently mapping the line or space of music to the instrument it represents. Students playing tom-tom parts must keep track of three, four, or five different spaces or lines to match the contour precisely. Perhaps more difficult is keeping track of several distinct instruments (e.g., woodblock, suspended cymbal, and finger cymbal) all marked on the same staff. Students should learn to view such a staff much like they view a treble or bass clef staff for tonal playing; each part has its particular pitch in relation to the others.
Reading treble or bass clef is challenging enough for any instrumentalist in the early stages of development; percussionists must learn to read both, plus neutral clef, and to switch back and forth relatively frequently. For instance, a student might play timpani on one piece, move to xylophone on the next, and finish with a combined bass and snare drum part. This requires quick visual, aural, and kinesthetic adaptation at a moment when adrenaline and nerves may already be distracting during performance.
Directors can help students develop this skill by keeping students switching instruments during warmups, exercises, and repertoire so that they are reading bass, treble, and neutral clefs early and often. This, of course, benefits not only their reading ability, but also ensures that they are playing a broad sample of instruments on a regular basis. Besides switching players exercise to exercise, or piece to piece, consider having them swap roles even within a warmup or exercise so that they quickly have to shift visual attention to the new clef. For example, students could switch instruments at the top of a scale while the winds hold the highest note and finish the descent in a different clef on a different instrument. Adaptability is the goal.
Finally, marking the parts is again a crucial component. A simple circle around the clef at the beginning of the timpani part or a clear marking of each target instrument at the beginning of each staff of a neutral clef can help students get oriented quickly to the context of the part just prior to playing. Even if they feel relatively confident in rehearsal, remind them that performances usually bring surprises. Better to be safe than sorry.

Position Problems

Even when students are quite comfortable with all skills described so far, they may encounter several challenges because of their location in the ensemble, making reading difficult and performance potentially unsuccessful. Large instruments such as chimes, timpani, or concert bass drum might require students to stand at a difficult angle to the conductor, a sizable distance away from other members of the section or full ensemble, or in an uncomfortable physical position for playing and reading at the same time. Playing keyboard instruments poses the problem of reading notation while maintaining technical accuracy with so many small targets. Students may also have to make quick instrument switches, requiring them to shift their angle to the music stand while perhaps changing mallets and adapting to the difference in size, shape, and response of the new instrument.
When playing large instruments, angle is everything. Whether playing timpani at one end of the back row, or chimes at the other, percussionists on stage should make the instrument meet them at a spot and angle where they can see the conductor clearly and directly in front of them. The instruments should be as close to each other and to the rest of the ensemble as possible while still honoring the space that fellow students need. Once that is established, percussionists’ music should be aligned directly between them and the conductor so that everything is in clear view all at once. On timpani and bass drum, for example, the music stand should generally be centered in front of players at a height and angle that allows them to see right over the top of it to keep the conductor in view. On the chimes, the stand and instrument can be positioned in a reverse V-shape, with the music stand slightly to one side of the player and the instrument to the other. Checking these simple positioning guidelines can save students a lot of trouble during performance.
With keyboard instruments, especially for challenging passages, set the music stand low and close to the keys so that students can see the bars in their peripheral vision. Students are already standing, so this height should be sufficient to keep the conductor in their sights, too. Students can practice looking at the part while glimpsing the keys and also looking at the keys while glimpsing the part. Practicing this slight back-and-forth visual focus will help them anchor both components confidently in performance.
When there are quick instrument switches, always consider the possibility of placing an extra part on an extra stand. If a student is moving swiftly from bass drum to chimes, place an extra copy of the part at the chimes so there is no need to carry it there. Likewise, even if students are standing relatively still during a shift but rotating to a new angle, consider placing an additional stand with additional music in that spot, rather than taking a chance on reading over their shoulder. The bottom line is always to make the materials meet the player in the most convenient way. Just as we insist that saxophonists adjust their neck straps rather than their necks, that bassoonists fine tune their reed rather than forcing their embouchure, or that trombonists shift their stand to make comfortable space for their slides, percussionists need to arrange their instruments and music carefully to make reading work best for them. This can be more complicated for percussionists, due to the sheer number and variety of instruments, but it should become an automatic part of their setup routine.

Conclusion
Music notation presents several unique challenges to percussionists. They often read from score parts, with a variety of noteheads and several clefs written for diverse instruments combined in physically challenging ways. These factors require students and directors to be especially observant and creative about making notation best serve its intended purpose. Marking parts thoughtfully and carefully, participating fully in scales and warmups with relevant notation, and rearranging instrument setups to improve player-music-conductor sightlines can make a big difference in students’ success. The finer details of percussionists’ transfer from music reading to music playing can be easily overlooked because of the complexity of the section and its typical distance from the podium. Make it a point to check how well your percussionists’ notated parts are working for them and, better yet, help them learn to do the same for themselves.

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Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night: Thoughts from Elliot Del Borgo

theinstrumenta — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 08:10:00 +0000

Composer Elliot Del Borgo left an impressive mark on the band and orchestra worlds, publishing more than 600 works, including music for the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Influenced by his composition teacher, Vincent Persichetti, Del Borgo’s music reflects the diversity of rhythm and harmony indicative of 20th century music. Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night (Shawnee Press, 1978) is one of his most influential works, and it appears on 22 state music lists and has been performed by high school and college ensembles from around the world. It has been the subject of journal and magazine articles and graduate theses and is included in volume 5 of Teaching Music Through Performance in Band (GIA). The work’s extensive performances and wide appeal make it important for musicians to study.

In the Fall of 2011, as a doctoral student at George Mason University, I programmed this piece for the university Wind Symphony. My initial score study of the work left me with more questions than answers. With the encouragement of Mark Camphouse and Anthony Maiello, my conducting mentors, I called Del Borgo on October 27, 2011, to talk with him about his piece. The following are his answers to my questions.

What was the source of inspiration for the opening motive?
I was looking for something to build the entire piece around. I constructed a cell that included a minor second and a minor third. I used this frequently throughout the work to give the piece unity.

What other works, if any, did you take inspiration from while conceiving this piece?
The works of Charles Ives played an important influential role. Particularly, Ives’s use of layering whether it is rhythmic, metric, or tonal. This is most evident in the bass line and the polytonal hymns in the B section.

Of all the hymns that could have been selected for this work, what drew you to these three?
I wanted the hymns to be well known and allow for the audience to recognize the melodies and know what was going on – a turning to God and religion during difficult times.

How important is it to you that ensembles adhere strictly to the written dynamics and phrasing?
Dynamic markings are relative but should identify to the conductor which elements are foreground and which are background. Persichetti always used to tell me to be sure to be clear with dynamic markings so that the conductor would know what should be most important in the score.

Should all three hymns receive equal weight?
Yes.

How should the mark indicating the timpanist to play on bowls be performed to achieve the desired affect?
On the timpani bowls, experiment with the back of the stick rather than the felt mallet.

Are there any particular passages that you feel specifically refer to Dylan Thomas’s Poem?
No, the piece should simply give an overall impression of the poem. In other words, the poem written with sound, or the impact of feelings associated with the poem.

What particular passages often give ensembles difficulty and what suggestions might you have to solve them?
The bird calls in measure 161 are one of the most difficult passages because it should be felt in a triple feel and students often try to make it work in a duple meter. If the students will simply count 1-2-3, 2-2-3, 3-2-3, 4-2-3, and then place the rhythm precisely on the beat it works out nicely.
Be sure to really pick up the tempo at 191 so that the main theme feels different than the first time. Use the triplets to get things moving.

The opening bar has two silent beats, could this have been written as a 24 bar?
Yes, a 24 bar would have been fine I did not want to complicate things at the beginning. I usually give two small beats for one and two.
Also, the opening statement up to the woodwind ostinato should be played more freely in a Gregorian chant style as if there were no bar lines. I often conduct circles to avoid being rigid with the beat structure.

How do you feel about the work today?
I was commissioned to write an orchestral version and agreed to do so as long as they let me revisit a few passages rather than create a blow by blow of the band version. I shortened the slow section at the end and added a Concert Bb hum (closed mouth) for all players not sustaining on their instrument from 226 to the end. I really prefer the orchestral version to the band version.
Also, in general there must be the ability in the performers to maintain the high emotional level throughout the entire work. The intensity must be maintained throughout; there are no low points emotionally.

Conclusions
Elliot Del Borgo was gracious and kind and truly enjoyed talking about his work. In our short conversation he inspired my vision of his piece with solutions, anecdotes, and insights. The Wind Symphony’s performance was more informed and inspirational because I spent a short time on the phone with the composer.
As a conductor I have always felt that it was my duty to interpret the score to represent the composer’s intent. Often that interpretation flows easily because the composer provides ample clues and insights in the score that lead to inspired performance. At other times score interpretation is more challenging. When I have taken the opportunity to contact a composer, I have learned much more about their work than had I simply relied on the printed score. The composer can always offer insight into their compositional process, the background of the work, and other details that could not have fit into a program note. There are always wonderful jewels that can be gained through this experience. Through these kinds of conversations conductors and composer develop meaningful relationships that can inform not only a singular work but other works that may be performed in the future. In a recent conversation with Anthony Maiello, he remarked that the relationship between composer and conductor is essential and crucial and that the conductor should, connect with the composer any way possible.
We are fortunate in the band world to have so many living composers. In my experience, they are always willing to discuss their works. Take a few minutes and reach out to discuss these works with their creators. Their insights will provide added light, meaning, and inspiration to many performances. For more detailed commentary and analysis of this piece, consider the articles and papers noted in the bibliography.

Bibliography
An Analysis of Elliot Del Borgo’s Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Ronald Toering (Journal of Band Research, Fall 1985).
Band Classics Revisited by Raeleen Horn (The Instrumentalist, January 1994).
From Poem to Poem by Barry Kopetz (The Instrumentalist, September 1995).
In-depth Analysis and Program Notes on a Selection of Wind Band Music by Miles B. Wurster (Master’s Thesis, May 2013, Minnesota State University, Mankato).

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The Tricks of the Trade: An Interview with Daniel Galloway

theinstrumenta — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 20:11:14 +0000

Daniel Galloway is the Director of Bands at Clements High School, in Sugar Land, Texas. The Clements High School Symphonic Band performed at the 2019 Midwest Clinic, and both the marching band and concert bands have won numerous honors. In addition to three concert bands and a marching band, Galloway also co-conducts the Clements Symphony Orchestra, which performed at the Midwest Clinic in 2014. He has worked as a brass instructor with the Santa Clara Vanguard and Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps. He has taught for 26 years in Texas public schools and is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University.

What are the keys to building a program to high level and keeping it there?
   Have a good relationship with the junior highs that feed into your school. This starts with being visible at the junior high level and establishing relationships with those students and their parents. Once students get into high school, establish a level of excellence without music becoming a burden. I think there is a balance between having fun in rehearsal and making sure that people are accountable. I treat them a bit like a college wind ensemble, at least in the top band, where I expect students to know what they are doing. I don’t have SmartMusic tests or listening assignments. I will call for sectionals. If a section is not working well, I’ll have the students record it and email the audio file to me for feedback.
    Make the students who are not in the top band feel that they are an important part of the program, especially outside of marching band – because they are. Our second and third bands do almost everything the top band does, including taking out-of-state trips. This pays off when a freshman in the lowest band makes all-state as a junior or senior. It builds a sense of empowerment and a realization that if someone works hard, they will get better.
   Private study plays a big part in excellence, and there is an expectation that private lessons are the path to improving at your craft. I would guess that at least 90% of the students in the top band study privately. The best lesson teachers are invested in what they do, rather than being in it only for the money.

What do you want freshmen to be able to do by the time they get to high school?
I want them to play with a characteristic sound, including vibrato, if that is part of what makes a characteristic sound. I want them to have technical facility – the ability to move around the instrument smoothly – and a range appropriate for high school. The extent to which incoming freshmen have mastered these things will vary widely, but these are three of the four things I look for in incoming freshmen. The fourth is understanding how to move and support air. Incoming freshmen have not always had the opportunity to play as loudly as I ask for in marching band, but the junior high directors are into the concept now and have opened up what the brass players can do.

How do you get an ensemble to play in tune?
   We teach tuning through tone quality and intervals. Many tuning problems are actually tone problems, so I frequently tell students “In tone is in tune and in tune is in tone.” Good intonation comes from playing at the center of every note on the horn, and we teach students at an early age that they have to adjust with their ears to play in the center of their instrument.
   I also have brass players sit with a tuner and find where their valve tuning slides should be pulled. The first and second valve slides on the Bb side of double horns should be pulled out some, as should tuba players’ third valves for those low Dbs. Take the time to have students look at the bad notes on their horns, so when they have to play them, the length of their instrument is already close.
   During rehearsals, I have students pair off to tune, using tuner apps on their phones. I do not allow them to tune to concert F; instead, I have them tune problem notes. I make trumpets tune to E and D because those are flat partial notes. I have flutes tune Bb and above, and alto saxes tune F# and A. We keep the emphasis on playing in tone rather than in tune. If students do this and spot check the problem notes on their instruments using both their ears and a tuner, things turn out well.
   We will play the Remington exercise on F to establish a baseline, but we will also play it in fifths to teach students that tuning is relative. I want them to listen and play in tune within themselves, relying on their ears rather than a tuner in front of them. We expand the Remington to triads and even seventh chords. I ask, “Did you play that major third correctly?” rather than “Are you stopping the dial on the tuner?” because students will frequently have to adjust up or down to make the chord work. I think we do students a disservice when we hook everyone up to a tuner because then students don’t learn to use their ears or adjust to their part of the chord. Teach them to lock the interval, and then they will know how to adjust in any situation. For our Midwest preview concert, a cold front dropped the temperature 30 degrees while we were traveling from the school to Houston Baptist University, where we performed. The only thing I said about tuning before the concert was that the trumpets were a hair flat, which was to be expected from the temperature shift. They pushed in, and everything was fine.

What are the differences between rehearsing a band and rehearsing a symphony orchestra?
We have to teach the wind players in symphony orchestra to play a bit more like soloists, which is a turnaround from the ensemble skills needed for symphonic band or wind ensemble. The strings are well-taught, so I usually only have to ask whether they can hear the winds and to balance to them.
String instruments make an immediate sound when you place the bow on the string, as opposed to wind instruments, which have a slight delay. Vertical alignment takes some work because the strings sound early but are really on time, while the winds sound late but are as on time as they can get.

How do you solve a lack of precision in ensemble playing?
Approach the rhythms in a different way. I will have students count, clap the rhythm, say note names while fingering, articulate the rhythm on a dee syllable, and play the rhythm on concert F. These approaches use different pathways in the brain, and research suggests that when you take a different tactile or kinesthetic approach to something and then go back to the instruments, the precision will improve. Even if the counting itself is not perfectly together, the precision will improve when students go back to their instruments.
When we articulate on dee, I ask them to perform it as though they were members of the Marine Band, meaning that I want them to say the syllable definitively, with excellent diction on the left side (beginning) of the note – to the point that someone listening through the wall could understand the rhythm. Although many students giggle when I say this, the visual of sitting and performing like the Marine Band produces the result I want.

What are the best teaching tricks you’ve learned from other directors?
   One of the many tricks I have learned from other directors is to have students listen side to side in ensemble trios. We also designate brass and woodwind color instruments and instruct students to make sure they can hear them. In concert band, we talk a lot about colors and listening to each other.
   From J.D. Shaw, the former hornist with the Boston Brass, I learned to avoid saying, “Your articulation is too short.” This is completely wrong because articulation is the start of a note. Instead, we talk about the left and right edges of notes. The left edge is the articulation, and the right edge of the note is its length.
   I have brass players put their mouthpieces inside their mouths, and we flow air with all valves down (or in seventh position). I say to flow air because flowing evokes motion without tension. Trumpet and horn players put the mouthpiece behind the teeth, while low brass players open as wide as possible. It seems like such a strange idea, but when you have a brass mouthpiece behind your teeth, it forces the throat to open up and relax. It changes the shape of everything and makes the sound bigger. Skeptical students are always surprised at the results after they try this for the first time.
   One common problem is getting notes to speak immediately, and we use balloons to overcome this. If you don’t put five percent more air into the start of blowing up a balloon, it won’t inflate. Every student gets a balloon, we give students two counts to inhale and then inflate the balloon immediately afterward. I learned this from Chip Crotts, professor of jazz studies at Georgia Tech. Another trick to getting students to start notes with more air is to have them think about starting notes further down your instrument, further down the leadpipe.
   Balloons also work for teaching dynamics. We have a system that equates how many counts it takes to inflate a balloon with volume levels. Eight air, meaning it takes eight counts to inflate the balloon, is mezzo forte, six air is forte, four air is fortissimo, and two air is outrageously loud. Flowing this much air is how you get a band with 60 brass players to sustain and play loud while still being able to hear the color brass instruments. I call it an orchestral brass sound: loud, but not distorted. We go through 300-400 balloons a month during marching season because students pop them flowing so much air. Some people don’t want their marching band to sound louder than a mezzo forte because they want to hear the flutes at all times. This is unrealistic for marching bands, so it is better to make sure the loudest dynamics sound good.
   This is our fifth year of using balloons, and what we do with them is established during marching season. Balloons do make a funny noise when deflated, but students have realized that using them makes a big difference in the sound, so nobody giggles at the noise. Using them is just something we do.

What did you learn about teaching marching from your experiences in drum corps?
   You only are going to be as good as you sound on the move. Standing still doesn’t matter. To that end, the more you play on the move, the better your marching band will be. You can sound great standing in an arc, but this does not matter if you cannot sound the same on the move. For marching warmups, we march and play at the same time, often in a set similar to what we are going to rehearse that day.
   Repetition is not the same as improvement. Drum corps get better because they rehearse a great deal, but sometimes students don’t get the information they need to solve problems. If a first attempt to play something wasn’t up to standards, tell students what the need to improve and how to do so before playing it again.
   The other thing I’ve learned in drum corps is how to deal with large spreads, difficult percussion to wind entrances, and timing front-to-back and side-to-side. If the music in a wide set with students spread from one 20-yard line to the other is not coming together, ask students where they are getting their time. Chances are that everyone will point to a different drum major. To fix such timing problems, decrease the number of sections playing until you figure out where students should get their time from. It might be the bass drum rather than a drum major.
   You used excerpts from The Rite of Spring in a marching show, about which one judge commented about the difficulty. How did you get students to do something this difficult?
We didn’t tell them it was difficult. Rather than telling students that something is difficult, instill confidence by saying, “This is what we’re going to do to make this excellent.” If your attitude about it is relaxed, students will approach it feeling the same way, but if you tell them something is difficult, they will be more uptight about it.

When you are introducing a piece at the upper limits of what one of your ensembles can handle, how do you get started?
We would never just read it down. Sightreading something at the peak of students’ ability puts them in survival mode and is a great way of learning something incorrectly. There is no benefit to it.
We listen to a recording and the split the group. We have the luxury of having two band rooms and might separate brass and woodwinds to work different sections. If we run a portion of the piece, we might have students play their rhythms on concert F, clap rhythms, or name notes at a slow tempo, but with works at the peak of any ensemble’s ability, it is better to start at the micro level than the macro. Sightreading something difficult seems like a waste of valuable rehearsal time. I would rather work on one section and a time and build the piece up.

How do you figure out what makes each group of students tick?
   This year’s marching band had some ups and downs. At first we couldn’t figure out why, but then we realized we had more sophomores in the band than usual. These were students who were no longer at the bottom of the high school pecking order and knew they were the largest group in the band, so they felt a bit more empowered than was beneficial.
   Examine the makeup of your band. Is it freshman heavy? Senior heavy? Determine the maturity level of the students. The band that performed at Midwest had a more subdued personality than the band that made the recording. This year’s group was compliant almost to a fault, whereas I wanted them to be a bit more outgoing, both in their playing and in rehearsals.
   Even different sections of the band can have different demeanors. I can tell my trumpets and horns to give me more sound, but with the trombones, I have to add a disclaimer about how much more I want.
   It is also necessary to watch for times when students are getting a lot of work from other teachers. I will ask, “Are you guys buried in homework and tests right now?” When they tell me yes, I remind them that band is their escape – 45-50 minutes when they don’t have to worry about their other classes. Gauging the students’ total workload is an ability that directors don’t always consider. I don’t want to burn students out to the point that they quit band at the semester. Along similar lines, end each semester with something positive, so students look forward to band next semester.

What are your thoughts on AP classes?
The AP system has a lot of merit to it, but it is pushed so hard sometimes that people forget there is more to life. Some students can handle this well, but I see students get stressed because they are taking six or seven AP courses. I had one student who took ten AP exams. I don’t see them quit band, but the stress takes a toll. This is why I don’t do much testing with my students. I want them to enjoy being in band. If I can motivate students to do the work they need to, I do not see the need to add to their stress. I want to be the person who is not stressing them. This is not always the case, but it is what I strive for.
Increasingly, universities, especially private ones, are requiring students to take their courses, stating that AP courses do not necessarily have different rigor, they just move faster. I took AP courses in high school, and so did both of my children, but they only took what they wanted. That’s what I would like to see – students taking AP courses only for subjects that interest them.

What advice would you give to a new teacher graduating from college this spring?
   The best advice I would give somebody graduating from college is to listen to the people who’ve come before them and not to get discouraged. Avoiding discouragement is still difficult for me sometimes. I have to step back and remind myself that something is not the end of the world.
   Watch what other teachers do, and try to make it work for your personality. Young teachers struggle to understand why a more experienced teacher can make their band sound better in a short time, but when they try the same approach, it doesn’t work. This happens because one teacher’s techniques will not automatically work with another teacher’s personality. They have to find out what works best for them.
   The world is not black and white; it is increasingly gray. You have to look at every situation and every student differently. When you learn to do that, you get ownership from students, parents, and administration. This does not mean nothing is worth standing for. It means to pick your battles wisely, which can take years to figure out.

* * *

Clements High School is one of eleven high schools in the Fort Bend Independent School District just southwest of Houston. It is one of the highest-rated schools in the country with many regional, state, and national honors in math, science, and various other academic subjects in addition to fine arts.

* * *

Fennell at TMEA
My assistant, Jeff Johnson, and I attended a particularly cold TMEA at which Frederick Fennell gave a series of talks. There were graduate students responsible for escorting him and his wife, but somehow they forgot to escort the Fennells to dinner the night of Valentine’s Day. The Riverwalk was packed with music teachers and Air Force personnel. We were eating at an Italian place by the River Center Mall when we saw Frederick Fennell and his wife, Elizabeth, who was using a walker, enter. There was an hour wait for a table, and it was obvious that Fred was frustrated. They walked to the bar and were just ten feet from us. Jeff looked at me and he said, “You’re going to ask them to sit down, aren’t you?” I responded, “Why not?”
I turned to Elizabeth and asked if she would like to sit down. She said yes, and then Frederick Fennell came up, and I invited them to eat dinner with us so they didn’t have to wait. He took us up on the offer. We sat with the Fennells for two hours, to the envy of other the directors in the place, many of whom were likely thinking of doing what I had just done. During the meal, we heard stories about his time with Persichetti and all the other people he taught with, and we took a picture together afterward. We paid for their dinner and walked them back to their hotel, and right before they got on the elevator, Elizabeth handed me $200 for taking care of them.

* * *

On Taking an Ensemble to the Midwest Clinic

Having taken both a band and a symphony orchestra to the Midwest Clinic, what recommendations would you make for a director considering auditioning?
Your band’s march should be fantastic. The other selection you play should have substance and feature soloists who will complement your band. With the symphony orchestra, the strings-only piece needs to be quite good, and the full orchestra piece should feature soloists. We recorded grade 5 works but picked music that was fun and different. You have to start planning in November what you’re going to do in December. I started working with the band on our march in December and had it where I wanted it by mid-January. After that, I primarily focused on the other piece. With the symphony, we rehearsed the strings in December, then added the winds in January.
The recording venue should be the best you can find. When we recorded on the stage at my school, it never sounded as good as when we recorded in a big concert hall. We used Houston Baptist University’s world-class hall, which made the band sound full and rich in a way that can’t be replicated in a band hall or rehearsal room.
I think there is also a psychological effect to it. Students seem to play better when they’re sitting in a hall instead of their band room. When students are playing with good tone and hear how resonant they sound, it makes a difference.

What did you do to prepare for the performance once you learned you were selected?
   We set up a Dropbox, scheduling every day from August until our preview concert before Thanksgiving. In July, we scheduled the first two months of rehearsals, deciding which piece we would rehearse each day and what about it we would be rehearsing. We shared the music with students so they didn’t have to wait for us to pass it out. As we got into heavy marching band season in October, we planned two weeks at a time, both for concert band and after school marching band rehearsals. Every minute of every day was planned and shared with students in advance, so they knew what to be ready for.
   As part of our preparations for Midwest, we built a copy of the Midwest Clinic stage in the band room. I borrowed risers from other schools and got everything to the dimensions the Midwest Clinic specified. Rehearsing on this setup made everything feel natural at the performance.
   It was also helpful to force ourselves to schedule a preview concert before Thanksgiving. We pushed the kids hard to be able to play the 45-minute concert, and everybody went into Thanksgiving a little bit more relaxed. I did not rehearse the week of Thanksgiving break, and they came back on the Monday after Thanksgiving sounding better. Sometimes, giving students a break is a good thing, especially because at the same time as we were preparing for the convention, students were also working on their all-state music.

What advice would you offer about the trip to Chicago?
   Finding a local high school we can use for a one- or two-hour rehearsal was quite beneficial. Rehearsing on a stage in some sense of normalcy, instead of a ballroom in the hotel you are staying at might have been the key to why our concert went so smoothly.
   If you use a travel company, make sure the package includes a person who stays with your group the whole time. We had a band director named Brian Christian, who had taken a group to Midwest before, so he knew what kind of stress we faced. He would go ahead of us to places, to get our tickets at the museum or make sure the room we had reserved was ready to go.
   I used school buses to carry the luggage to the airport, and in hindsight, I would have had a parent drive a box truck. Our marching band uses a semitrailer for this, but because we didn’t bring any percussion instruments or the other big things the marching band travels with, I didn’t consider the logistics of maneuvering instruments and luggage around bus seats. I considered not even bringing our tubas and had a plan in place for us to use the tubas of the school we rehearsed at, but the closer we got to leaving for Chicago, the more strongly I felt that the tuba players played too important of a role to use unfamiliar instruments. We paid the extra money for the oversized cases so they had something that they were used to playing on.
   The Midwest Clinic provides high-quality percussion instruments, so although I know of some people who drove their percussion instruments up to Chicago in a box truck, we used what the Midwest Clinic offered, which the percussionists deemed just as good as what we had back in Texas.

The post The Tricks of the Trade: An Interview with Daniel Galloway appeared first on The Instrumentalist.